Salvation in Isaiah 22

We remarked last week that the work of the prophet is the most
difficult of all tasks. Isaiah was one of those men charged with
being a channel of God’s word to His people. He had to tell
them the truth! He had to tell them things that they did not want
to hear. He had to warn them of judgment to come. He had to be
scared himself before he could communicate the awesome and scary
words of the Lord their God.

This evening we find him in the Valley of Vision.

The Valley of Vision is a place where the prophet Isaiah went
to sit and meditate. We have many beautiful spots in this area
where we live; some of the most pleasant are green wooded
valleys, with a little stream running through the bottom. There
are places to sit and rest and be quiet – but most of all
to think and meditate.

Most Bible students and commentators consider Jerusalem, the
beautiful city and capital of Judah, to be the Valley of Vision.
It is not so much for the geographical features of Jerusalem; for
it is a city set on a hill, but surrounded by many mountains,
giving it the status of being high yet also in a valley. God had
appeared in a vision to Isaiah and other prophets before him at
Jerusalem. The city and its Jewish inhabitants had been well
favoured over the centuries because God had given the people
SIGHT – VISION. He had revealed Himself and His will to
them. Through the years He had led His people by Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. He was with them in Egypt from Joseph to Moses. He had
brought them out of slavery and provided laws for living and
worship for them. He had brought them into Canaan and established
them in their own land. And He had given them this city –
Jerusalem. And through all of this experience God had constantly
visited them to give them sight – a vision that had
provided them with HOPE!

What is this vision that kept the Jews going that was to be
repeatedly announced to them?

It was a vision of a worldwide Kingdom under IMMANUEL, the
promised King of David’s family line. And the vision
projected them to the very end of time – to the NEW
JERUSALEM.

The Jews were – and we who are Christians, the spiritual
Israel and successors to the promises – are people who live
in the valley of vision!

Isaiah had a specific section of the vision to tell his people
in this chapter. It is in two parts.

1. The Invasion of Judah and Jerusalem by the Assyrians.
Verse 1 – 14.

2. The Removal of an officer of Hezekiah’s court and
his replacement by another. Verse 15 – 25.

You may think that these events are unrelated. But 1 Kings 18
and 19 speak of the siege by the Assyrians; their attempts to get
Hezekiah and his people to surrender, and the men involved in the
negotiations – the two mentioned in the second part of the
chapter. Let us think this evening about the first section
–

1. The Invasion of Judah and Jerusalem by the Assyrians.
Verse 1 – 14.

We can recall that Isaiah in the last few chapters has been
announcing “Burdens” – oracles, messages,
denouncements, against various countries associated with Judah.
Ethiopia, Egypt, Edom, Moab and so on. Presumably he had uttered
the burdens and then written them from the Jews city of
Jerusalem.

But now it is Jerusalem’s turn to be warned and for
Isaiah to have a burdensome message for her. She too is to be
judged!

V1. The housetops were the flat roofs where the house owners
might retire for sleep, lamenting or for worship – either
of God or of idols. How do we know this?

Jeremiah 19 v 13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses
of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet,
because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned
incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink
offerings unto other gods.

Perhaps now the people have gone up onto their housetops to
observe the approaching army of Assyrians – but they have
gone with a false confidence – believing themselves to be
impregnable.

2. The city was a noisy place, stirred with all kinds of
activities. The people will be slain – not by a sword
– but by the treading down of the Lord – actually
many would die through the famine caused by the siege. But it was
the consequence of the rejection of God.

3. Those who lead and defend the people in the city of
Jerusalem will fail them – will seek to escape, but will be
captured. This is a prophecy concerning the later siege of the
Chaldeans when Zedekiah was captured by Nebuchadnezzar. This
shows that Isaiah is looking through a long telescope and
predicts the events of 2 attacks on Jerusalem – Assyrian
– which God dealt with miraculously, and the Babylonian
that resulted in the captivity.

4. Isaiah inserts a personal note – this vision moves
him to weep and lament – here are his words!

5. When the Lord moves in judgment the people will not know
what to do in the midst of their confusion. They will cry to the
mountains – we have heard that before – 3 texts come
to mind –

Hosea 10 v 8 The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel,
shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on
their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and
to the hills, Fall on us.

Luke 23 v 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains,
Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

Revelation 6 v 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall
on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

6. Now Isaiah looks even further ahead and sees the overthrow
of the invaders! Elam and Kir are names for the Medes and
Persians who brought Babylon’s downfall.

The phrase uncovering the shield here means the removal of the
cover of a shield ready for battle.

7. A picture of foreign invaders occupying the approaches to
the city.

8. This is a sad verse since it describes the withdrawal of
Jehovah from his people and the protection of the city of
Jerusalem. We remember how the Lord has protected His people down
the centuries – a covering of a cloud in the day and a fire
in the night – coverings! Now the Lord God removes them!
The symbol of His presence – gone! How sad. History records
that God covered His people and Jerusalem during
Sennacherib’s siege; but it was removed when Nebuchadnezzar
came!

9 – 11. Efforts would be made to provide for protection
in the siege. Houses would be demolished so that stones could be
used to build a second wall and repair the breaches in the wall.
A moat was to be constructed between the walls as water storage
tanks. But Isaiah tells them their preparations would come too
late for them to be saved. The people’s mistake was they
looked to themselves and not to the Lord. He was the source of
protection and deliverance. If they turned away from Him, He had
promised to determine their destruction – Deuteronomy
28.

12. Having said all this about what God had revealed a final
warning is issued – God calls for weeping – mourning
– baldness – and dressing up in sackcloth.

Weeping over sins of idolatry and leaving God out of their
lives.

Mourning over the lost opportunities to love and serve the
Lord God; mourning that they had brought this disaster on
themselves.

Baldness – shaving of the head in contrition.

Wearing sackcloth – humbling themselves in mournful
sorrow for sin – a sign of repentance. Isaiah calls the
people to do this. The people of Nineveh did it when Jonah
preached judgement to them – why could God’s people
not do the same? All of these actions would have demonstrated
contrition of spirit. Jesus said “Blessed are they that
mourn – for they shall be comforted”. Jesus meant
mourning over sin. Sadness and grief felt by the soul that sins
and offends God. Do you mourn over your sins? Do you weep about
your offences towards God? Are you affected emotionally when you
sin or fall into sin? Are you prepared tonight my friend to
humble yourself beneath the mighty hand of God who has power to
snuff out your life at a moment’s notice? Repentance always
involves sorrow for sin – grief that we have broken
God’s laws – a conscience stricken by the pain of
guilt. This is the hardest part of becoming a Christian –
to admit your sin; to turn from your sin and to be humbly sorry
for your sin. And because, “sorry means not doing it
again” then sorrow must bring about a deep change in the
soul. Is this your experience?

So – did the inhabitants of Jerusalem repent and turn?
Perhaps we need to ask the question in a different way because
this is a prophecy from the Valley of Vision and the lips and pen
of Isaiah – WILL the people of Jerusalem repent and turn?
See what Isaiah says –

13. Instead of repentance – joy and gladness! Preparing
a feast as if nothing was happening. Drinking wine to make the
heart glad rather than seek the Lord in humble sorrow! This would
be their attitude –

let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

It was not as if they felt any pleasure at the thought of
death – but it indicates a love of life which scoffs at
death! When religion collapses it opens the way for sensual
dissipation and revelry.

My friends – is not this that we see happening in our
land and nation today? Religion has all but been abandoned. What
is there in its place? An attempt by people to make sense of
life. But they have no point of reference. Moral absolutes have
been waived and hope of eternity all gone.

Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

When you are dead you are dead they say. We might as well live
life to the full – while we have got it – for there
is nothing else! This is the prevailing “enjoy
yourself” philosophy.

How short sighted such thinking is! And the truth of the
Gospel of grace through the death and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ, God’s son, is still the same as it has ever been.
The Gospel has not changed – but men and women have!

God has provided a way for people to be released from the
siege of sin. They can be released from the deprivation of
sin’s oppression which has them in its grip. They do not
have to build walls of resistance against this enemy – or
build water tanks to keep them alive. There is one who has come
to deal effectively and finally with the enemy of souls. This One
is a King. He has Kingly qualities – Kingly dignity –
Kingly power – and the love of a King for His subjects.

This King’s name is Jesus Christ – and he sent his
messengers long ago to announce His coming – Isaiah was one
of them. He promised to save His people from their sins –
that is the meaning of His name. Jehovah saves. He is God
Himself. He has come to bring hope beyond the grave. How can He
do that?

Because He, the Son of God, went through death, paying for the
sins of many – and on the other side of death rose again
– raised by a miraculous power unheard of before. All who
believe in him and trust in him will also rise again. Instead of
“eat and drink for tomorrow we die”, the believer can
say – repent, believe and serve the Lord – for
tomorrow we die – and then rise again to live for
ever! What a wonderful promise! Isaiah prophecies the
beginning of the process with his warning in verse 12 –
first there must be of necessity – the weeping over sin and
the mourning over the breakages of God’s law. But after
that there is joy and gladness in serving the King who is a kind
and generous Master. Oh my friend – is he your saviour
tonight? Will you think seriously about your soul tonight?

Will you consider the merits and the work of the man Christ
Jesus – who is God and who came to saves sinners like
us?

We who are Christians have a glorious hope beyond the grave
– tell me – what hope do you have if you still have
sin to be accounted for when you meet the Lord God?

Believers do not fear the meeting with the Lord at the
judgment day. We have the confidence to say to God, “Thy
son died for me – He paid my penalty – His blood has
washed me clean.” But are you fearful because you do not
know of Christ’s forgiveness and pardon?

My friends we live in a valley of vision. We have the Bible,
the Word of God. There is a plan for God’s people through
time and eternity and it is made vivid to us through the Holy
Spirit. There is a sense that we are more fortunate than the
people of Jerusalem. Even between the sieges of Sennacherib and
Nebuchadnezzar they only had Isaiah’s word for it. They
could and did reject the rantings of a prophet who rarely had
anything good to say to them.

Now we have the complete record of the Word of God in our
hands – freely available and in a language that we can
understand. We are therefore fools but also irresponsible if we
ignore the offer of eternal life that is made to us form the
Living God!

Verse 14 of Isaiah 22 has a final and serious warning to those
who refuse to trust the living Lord God.

14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts,
Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die,
saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

There is an unpardonable sin which any unsaved sinner can
commit. It is to die without your sins forgiven. It is to appear
before God the judge with sin still in your account. If you die
an unsaved sinner then there is no forgiveness beyond the grave.
Forgiveness for sins is only available in this life that you are
living now! Be warned my friend – you must repent of your
sins and turn to trust in Jesus Christ. If you don’t
– and you die tonight you will be lost forever – how
tragic that would be! Don’t go any further tonight before
you have repented humbly, and asked God to forgive you all your
sins.

Jesus said All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. John 6 v
37